One of the security guards that used to work at Planned Parenthood reached out to Dan Miller this past week and shared his story. He said that our witness was the reason he ended up getting out of there. Here’s the story in Dan’s words:
I’m not shy about proclaiming my pro-life convictions on Facebook. I don’t think anyone would argue with that statement.
I get friend requests almost every day from people from all over the world. If we have even just a few friends in common, I’ll probably accept your friend request.
Not long ago, a non-facebook friend private messaged me and said he saw one of my posts on his news-feed and thought we were doing some of the greatest work he has ever seen. Babies being saved left and right – he wanted to do more for the pro-life movement. I looked him up – and he lives in south-eastern Wisconsin – so I thought, “Why not?” and gave him my phone number so we could talk.
He didn’t call for over two weeks. But today – the feast day of St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes – HE CALLED. For his protection, I’ll just call him *John. After we were done with the pleasantries and had wrapped up a follow-up appointment to get him volunteering at Pro-Life Wisconsin – he mentioned that he was out of work. I asked him what he did previously. He said, “I used to be a security guard.” Where at? “At Planned Parenthood.” **JAW DROPS** Which one? “The one up near Stoughton Road in Madison.” **Jaw. Drops. Again** What made you quit? “I didn’t really quit. I was fired, but I gave them no choice. I knew I couldn’t do the work at Planned Parenthood anymore – and told my boss that when he called me into his office one day. I needed the job – but just couldn’t do it anymore.” He then went on to tell me of the many interactions with the pro-lifers on the sidewalks. “The one that affected me the most was this little old lady. One day we were talking, and I told her I was pro-life.” She said to me, “You’re not pro-life! Look at where you are earning a paycheck!” John said, “She tore into me pretty good – like no one else had ever done. It was on that day that I stood up to my boss and said, ‘no more.’” John continued, “I had struggled with the whole situation for a long time. Many of the pro-lifers tried to convince me to get out, but that little old lady really got to me! She helped me to stand up for myself. Now I’m free.”
We talked some more about my sidewalk counseling experiences. Because we were on the phone, I couldn’t be 100% sure, but I thought he was crying after some of the stories I shared. Then he shared some of his own experiences from inside the walls of PP – stories of how he encouraged women to leave and never come back – women who were really struggling with the whole notion of having an abortion. He said to one of their client’s support persons, “Hey – I believe in the right to choose, too – to choose the good always. It’s pretty clear to me she doesn’t want to have the abortion – so get her out of here!” The PP employees scolded him, “You can’t talk to our clients!” He responded, “First off – all I did was say ‘hi.’ Secondly, I was talking to her support person – NOT YOUR CLIENT.” They didn’t seem to care. Any encouragement from him was all some of them needed to pick up their things and leave. On more than one occasion, the pregnant moms were on the floor, sobbing, begging not to be forced to have an abortion. Some got out. Some didn’t. He saw the evil of PP up close and personal. The cold indifference of the employees always shocked him. He thought, “My God, what am I doing here?!”
At the tail end of our conversation, I said, “John – you know, it would really mean a lot to the pro-lifers if you went up there and held a sign with them on the sidewalks. Let them know that you finally got out. They’ve been praying for you for a long time – they’d really appreciate it.” He replied, “I’m kind of broke – but I would love to do that.” How about we go together, sometime? I’ll drive – so you don’t have to worry about gas money and I might even buy you lunch! “Sure! I would be happy to!”
I have a feeling John & I are going to become fast friends! Praise God!
Dan Miller – State Director – Pro-Life Wisconsin
OPEN HOURS
Monday, 10/31 – 1 needed at 3a; 1 needed at 7p and 1 needed at 8p.
Tuesday, 11/1 – 2 needed at 3a; 1 needed at 4a; 2 needed at 6p; 2 needed at 7p; 1 needed at 8p and 1 needed at 11p.
Wednesday, 11/2 – 1 needed at 8a; 1 needed at 9a; 1 needed at 12p and 1 needed at 1p.
Thursday, 11/3 – 1 needed at 12a; 1 needed at 1a; 2 needed at 4a; 1 needed at 6a; 1 needed at 7a; 1 needed at 8a; 2 needed at 7p; 2 needed at 9p; 1 needed at 10p and 1 needed at 11p.
Friday, 11/4 – 2 needed at 12a (midnight); 2 needed at 1a; 1 needed at 3a; 1 needed at 6a; 2 needed at 7a; 1 needed at 8a; 1 needed at 9a; 1 needed at 12p; 1 needed at 1p; 1 needed at 4p; 2 needed at 5p and 1 needed at 6p.
Saturday, 11/5 – 2 needed at 6a; 1 needed at 11a; 1 needed at 12p; 1 needed at 5p; 2 needed at 6p; 1 needed at 7p and 1 needed at 8p.
Sunday, 11/6 – 2 needed at 1a; 2 needed at 2a; 2 needed at 3a; 2 needed at 4a; 2 needed at 5a; 2 needed at 6a; 2 needed at 7a; 2 needed at 8a; 2 needed at 12p and 1 needed at 3p.
To sign up for hours go to: vigilforlife.org/calendar/monthview or e-mail info@vigilforlife.org or call Gwen at (608)393-8545.
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40 Days for Life Closing Prayer Vigil led by Fr. Richard Heilman will be on Sunday, Nov. 6th at 4:30 p.m. on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. After the prayer vigil, there will be a light supper provided by Vigil for Life. Location is still TBD however will be in the area. Please RSVP for the meal to info@vigilforlife.org.
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Prayer for Changing the Culture
by Fr. Frank Pavone, M.E.V.
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come into your presence in His name.
We have heard the voice of your Son,
And therefore we can make our voices heard.
We have been justified in the blood of your Son,
And therefore we can oppose every form of injustice.
We have repented of our sins,
And therefore we can lead the sinner to repentance.
We have done battle with the power of evil,
And therefore we can have compassion on those still within its grip.
We have been freed from the kingdom of darkness,
And therefore we can bear witness to your Kingdom of Light.
Lord, as we come before you today, we repent, we resolve, and we rejoice.
We repent of every instance in which fear has made us silent when we should have spoken.
We repent of the ongoing bloodshed in our land,
And for ever daring to think that we can deprive the unborn of protection but keep it for ourselves.
We resolve that we will work more generously to advance your Kingdom.
We resolve that we will advance the cause of righteous candidates for public office,
And that we will be more afraid of offending you by our silence
Than of offending the IRS by our speech.
We resolve that we will declare boldly to our people that no public official who fails to respect the life of a little baby
can be trusted to respect our lives.
Father, today we rejoice, because we are not simply working for victory – we are working from victory.
The victory of life, truth, and grace has been won by your Son’s death and Resurrection.
Today we hear his voice again.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I hold the keys of death and of hell.
Behold, I make all things new.”
Father, we rejoice that we have been made new,
And as we work to renew our culture
We look forward to the great day of his coming,
When every eye will see him, even of those who pierced him,
And every knee shall bend, and every tongue confess, to the glory of God the Father,
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
In his Blessed Name we pray. Amen!
